Extended Water Footprint as a Criterion for Multiuse Water Allocation: Case of Peru

Kuroiwa J.M.; Castro L.F. · Proceedings of the IAHR World Congress (2022) · DOI: 10.3850/iahr-39wc2521716x20221829

Resumen

In regions where water is scarce, its use must be prioritized, and adequate criteria must be used to obtain maximum benefits for the population. This article summarizes the result of a series of research findings carried out in Peru related to water productivity, which is translated into the concept of the Extended Water Footprint (EWF). In these investigations, the amount of water to generate a unit of a product was estimated, as well as the value that is generated when a unit ofwater is used in a productive activity. The EWF of five representative agricultural products is compared: grape, asparagus, rice, potato and coffee, and a mining product, copper concentrate. Copper concentrate generates the highest gross income, US $ 11/m3, followed by asparagus and grapes, export products, with US $ 2.89/m3 and US $ 0.97/m3, respectively. The income from potatoes and rice are much lower, in the order of 59 and 30 cents of US$ per m3, respectively. One m3 ofwater applied to coffee generates only 9 cents of US$. This article is aimed at providing information that may be useful to decision makers, economists, and researchers whose professional or academic practice is related to the economic value that natural resources, in particular water, can potentially generate. Finally, criteria can be established that can be quantified to establish State policies to prioritize the use ofwater in productive activities.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería